


We Stand As One

by talonyth



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fire Emblem AU, Multi, this is going somewhere i am sure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 09:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3645771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talonyth/pseuds/talonyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karasuno is a mercenary troop called the Crows and they stumble from one adventure into the next, voluntarily and not so voluntarily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> yo the rating and category and relationships will be added as the story progresses, i am not willing to give a lot away right now and i don't even know if i will continue this as it is very self-indulgent at this point. 
> 
> it'll be mostly an fe:a au bc i am the most familiar with it and there might be some class changes involved. mainly, i've been planning this for a year and there were two chapters up that i deleted though they will be added when they fit into the story again!
> 
> mmm, for all else, plegia is one of the main regions in awakening, valm and ylisse being the other, and apparently, ennoshita is very intense here. i'm sorry for that, i hope you can enjoy this at least a little!

“This is by far not enough for all of us. We won’t be able to cover food expenses plus weapons and armour at this rate,” Ennoshita says and wrinkles his nose, looking at the wrinkled and yellowed sheets spread on the shaky folding table. They are barely legible in the dim light of the candles placed around the small tent. “Not to mention spells for the mages and staffs for the healers. They are expensive and I don’t think we will be able to afford them in the nearest future but we don’t have many left.”

Daichi crosses his arms and purses his lips, creases on his forehead much deeper than they should be, considering his age. He is not even 30 yet. He plans on living for much longer but under these circumstances he might as well not even see the 30 on his birthday cake. Sure, battlefields are dangerous but nothing is more lethal than managing a horde like The Crows. They weren’t a bad bunch but certainly as chaotic as any group made up of entirely different personalities and origins would be. Very chaotic. And loud. And messy. Not to talk about wasteful. The creases grow deeper as he thinks about it. 

“We haven’t gotten any missions lately. And scavengers have gotten a lot more active lately so abandoned battlefields and towns are empty. There isn’t even dust to collect off the ground anymore, that’s how tidy they are.” Daichi can only sigh at his evaluation. No missions, no money, no weapons nor food but without weapons or food, none of them look like they could take difficult tasks so no one employs them. What a damn vicious cycle. Daichi sometimes wishes he would have thought his glorious idea of a mercenary troop a bit more thoroughly than this, especially considering it currently harbours more people than he expected. 

“We could send out Nishinoya. We ain’t havin’ a thief for nothin’,” Ukai comments and Daichi is inclined to agree. Until he remembers stealing is illegal and Nishinoya’s face is on as many Wanted posters as if he were some sort of celebrity. Even after more than a year. So much for ‘I just stole here and there, I swear’ that Nishinoya swore to have done back when they picked him up after he fled from prison. Liar. 

“I don’t think that would be a good idea considering our circumstances. We can’t afford having one of us thrown into prison because our men aren’t armed enough to get him out of there again,” Ennoshita cuts in. Daichi stares at him in disbelief. 

“Wait, you considered this so far to actually make a detailed plan for how to get Nishinoya out of prison in case he would get caught? We haven’t even talked about him stealing anything yet.”

“If you plan something, plan it thoroughly,” he crosses his arms and shrugs, “I’m a tactician. That’s what I’m here for. Otherwise I could just be a random sage. ...No hard feelings, Takeda,” Ennoshita says and turns to the sage apologetically who has a wry smile left to spare. 

“No, please do not worry. I admire your tactical thinking, Ennoshita. ...I do think we should keep theft as our very last, desperate option, though,” Takeda retorts, smile going milder with every word, and Daichi feels a little more at ease. Considering Takeda is the oldest one in this group but respects everyone as equals and even decided to leave the leading position to people much younger than him… well, he did say he has barely had any battlefield experience. He does provide a feeling of safety though, thankfully. One of the only reasonable persons in this group. Unlike Ukai. Second-oldest but one of the more reckless men Daichi has to keep in check. Takeda and him are but three years apart yet still so vastly different. 

“Was just sayin’. We shouldn’t forget about that, y’know. We do have some folks who could easily get us access to some nice treasure chambers.” 

“We might have the men to commit theft but we don’t have the treasure chambers to raid. At least not as far as I am informed. Or did I miss anything?” Ennoshita looks more stressed than him, Daichi realizes. A wonder he has made it this far. He is a lot sturdier than anyone expects him to be. Not much of a surprise from a genius tactician from Plegia. He has probably had much more to deal with than he lets show. 

“Nah, I dunno ‘bout any treasure chambers. Just rumours.” 

“Rumours? What about? ...Where do you even get those from, you always have ‘rumours’ up your sleeves,” Daichi cuts in and truly, it remains a mystery what sources Ukai has but he has never disappointed once. Most of the rumours he has heard turned out to be right and saved their skin more than once. Each with their own personal job within their chaotic group although so far it has only worked semi-well.

“Y’know. Rumours. ‘Bout treasures hidden in the caverns of Border Sands,” he replies, swiftly ignoring the second part of Daichi’s question. Every. Damn. Time. For all Daichi is aware of, Ukai gets most of his information from taverns he visits - but whose money does he use? He stops thinking about it before he pops a blood vessel. He’s too young to die of worry yet. 

“Border Sands? Between the borders of Plegia and Ylisse?” Ennoshita’s voice takes a turn and both Daichi and Takeda share a look that expresses mild discomfort. ….Highly understated to say mild but Daichi is not willing to admit he might be slightly scared of Ennoshita once Plegia comes into a discussion. “Great,” and by Naga, Ennoshita’s voice could cut someone’s throat much better than any of their current weapons could, what do they still collect money for, “You plan on going right into the middle of the battlefield. You are aware Plegia and Ylisse are at war right now, don’t you? This is suicide.”

“...The whole world’s at war. What’s the big deal?”

Daichi is grateful he is not the only one left in shock, breath stopping in his throat as he looks at Takeda from the corner of his eyes. He is not sure whether Ukai is brave or reckless or both, in fact, if he tries to argue with Ennoshita about this. Surprisingly, Ennoshita’s face seems to relax, more of a pensive expression than a dangerous one.

“Well… that’s… actually weirdly logical,” he eventually says, “Plus, we’d have an advantage. Since everyone is busy fighting each other, no one will come after us. At least not that fast. They’d be too distracted to mind us.”

“Ennoshita, are you honestly suggesting we should raid a possibly not even existing treasure chamber in the caverns of Border Sands whilst the war is going hotter than the breath of the dragons?” Daichi just wants to make sure. In his mind, he is already setting up the troop for a raid but unless Ennoshita goes along, he isn’t willing to risk his head. 

Ennoshita’s eyes darken but his words sound like music to Daichi. “...Desperate times call for desperate measures, captain.” 

“I can’t say I disagree. I just thought you would scold me for agreeing.”

“Not this time. I mean, I do hate the thought of stealing but… it’s just Plegia. They have more than enough treasures anyway.”

“Now this is just your personal gru---”

“Don’t. Touch. The subject. Please do not.”

It could have gone smoother but Daichi didn’t know what he expected to hear. “...I wasn’t planning to. It’s too early for jokes, isn’t it?”

“Please try it again in a year. Or two. ...Or maybe after I am dead, that would be the safest,” Ennoshita says and sighs, “Either way, we will have to set out the earliest we can. We have enough time tonight to come up with a decent strategy until morning. We will have to mind the desert and that some of our troops might be disadvantaged by that but your battlefield experience is going to help us sort that out quick, captain.”

“Ah, well, don’t praise me all too much, you are the one coming up with the strategies. I am only capable of leading. Without your plan beforehand, we would have been done for a long time ago.”

It’s not a lie. Ennoshita has not been with them for a very long time but Daichi is absolutely certain that they wouldn’t have survived it entire if Ennoshita didn’t help them. Ever since he has joined, their battles have gone smoother yet Daichi, and he knows Ennoshita is aware of that too, has noticed he is still using tactics for larger troops. With better weapons. And better armoury. Plegia’s army. 

A small smile creases Ennoshita’s lips and he looks more tired than Daichi originally thought. This situation wears all of them down, the morale is lower than usually and even though none of them means to allow it, hope grows slimmer every waking second when all they see are battlefields and wars. It might be what they have chosen to become, a troop of mercenaries, fighting for all those who can’t protect themselves but even those sort of missions become less. 

“I am glad to be of assistance,” Ennoshita breathes and for a second, everything goes quiet until he starts again, the force in his voice returning. “Let’s see what I can still remember about Border Sands. Ukai, I will need you to tell me details about where that chamber is supposed to be situated. I might have an idea but… for safety’s sake.”

Ukai grins and nods. “‘Course, leave ‘at to me!”

“Takeda,” Daichi says and turns to the sage, back to his usual smile, “might I ask you to take care of the equipment and tell me whether there is anything in particular we have to consider? If our healer staffs are scarce, we will have to use a slightly different strategy. Likewise, if there are too many weapons broken or unusable, we will need to see what we can do about that. A battle on sand is strenuous and with broken weapon it becomes impossible.”

“Ah, do not worry about that, I have already checked them beforehand, as well as our armoury.” He pulls a sheet of paper out of his sleeve - how does he store things there, even, is it a sage thing, Daichi has never understood - and places it on the table. “I was certain this was going to be of use.”

“Good, then let’s do this, I’m sure Nishinoya will be psyched to hear he is finally allowed to be a pickpocket again,” Ennoshita exclaims, fingers smoothing over the creases of a map he pulled out from below the other documents.

“...Pickpocket. This is an entire treasure chamber, Ennoshita.” Daichi doesn’t mean to be a spoilsport but---

“It’s just like pickpocketing Plegia. Trust me, you don’t have the slightest idea how rich Plegia is. They can take the loss of a little gold and weaponry, and we happen to need it.” 

It doesn’t remain the last snarky remark Ennoshita has that night, apparently pent up for months judging from the tone in his voice, as they come up with a safe strategy.

The sun rises much quicker than they expect when Daichi, mind steeled, steps outside and tells the Crows about their plan. He is left speechless when they all, not a single one out, not only agree but, with morale boosted, get their equipment right away and not an hour later are on their way to the Caverns of Border Sands. 

What a chaotic and disorganized group would anyone think. So does Daichi, most of the time, but he has never taken a better decision than forming this very troop.


	2. World's Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright alright alright, here we go, here it starts, here we finally have something that makes a little more sense. 
> 
> ah yes, a warning ahead, there is a part where strangulation is briefly mentioned, if you feel uncomfortable about that, please skip it! other than that, i hope you can enjoy it!

The air is stuffy in the carriage, sand getting into his eyes each time Hinata tries to blink. It is not like he is not used to it - he grew up in the desert, in an isolated village far apart from the current happenings. When he first heard about wars going on between the borders of all kingdoms, he could not believe it but it seems all too real when he hears occasional roaring, metal clashing against metal, screams that make him shudder while sitting tied up in the small and cramped interior of the coach. It’s hot and uncomfortable, the ropes cut into his wrists and make them itch but he remains oddly calm seeing as he has been exiled from his home, banished from the village, from his family. By own choice, even. Perhaps the reason why he doesn’t lose his composure as opposed to what he expected of himself.

He raises his head and purses his lips. Opposite of him, Kageyama leans against the linen cover breathing heavily, the carriage so narrow that neither of them is able to stretch out their legs. His eyes are closed and Hinata is almost certain that rather than having fallen asleep, Kageyama passed out from the heat earlier. 

Unlike him, Kageyama is not used to the heat, not used to the sand and the desert. An outsider from a chilly land, he used to call himself. The first time Hinata met him was when his sister brought him home, having gotten lost in the desert and being rather delusional, sun-struck and dehydrated. That must have been a month or two ago. 

Not much time but enough for Hinata to know that Kageyama was an honest guy despite his bad demeanor at times. Definitely not the type to be a criminal or a liar. If anything, he had a tendency to be much too frank at times, almost painfully so. Yet Hinata’s village saw things differently - who else could have stolen a holy relic, known not to be removed ever by absolutely anyone living there but the outsider. 

They didn’t bother listening to Hinata saying Kageyama couldn’t have possibly done it because at the time the relic disappeared, they were together, vividly bantering whether archers or swordsmen were cooler. Obviously swordsmen, Hinata will never let anyone tell him otherwise, not even Kageyama with a scary look on his face. ...It matters little, right here, right now when neither swords nor arrows can help them. 

He leans over to Kageyama and nudges his head with the tip of his nose. It’s difficult to move with the hands at your back. He doesn’t seem to react but calling out to him will just attract attention and the least Hinata wants to deal with now is having himself already thrown out in the middle of the desert. It would definitely be easier and he is sure the soldier his village hired to bring both him and Kageyama far, far away would love to agree with but rules are rules. 

And Hinata is aware the rules and laws of his village say both him and Kageyama will be executed in the depths of caverns that once used to be ritual chambers. Supposedly for having committed the ultimate crime of stealing the holy relic. 

“Kageyama,” he presses between his teeth anyway and nudges him again. “Hey, wake up.”

There is no reaction and as he is about to shuffle closer, the carriage stops. He quickly slides back to his original position and listens closely to footsteps thumping across the ground, it seems to be solid, more than sand is it least. ...Have they arrived? 

He yelps when a hand grabs him by his collar tight enough to make him feel like suffocating as he is being dragged out of the carriage into the scorching sun. Hinata is left staggering when the soldier lets go of him, almost falling over because he can’t keep his balance with his hands tied at his back after more than a day travel cramped into such a small place. His legs hurt, his back hurts, everything hurts but he can’t focus on anything else but the sound of a heavy thump behind him. 

“Wake up,” the soldier grunts at Kageyama, who fell flat onto the paved ground, still unconscious or barely holding up. A kick to the stomach makes him wince - and Hinata who speaks before thinking.

“Hey! Cut that out, it’s not like you can expect him to be jumping around like you want when you haven’t even given us water! We might as well have died on our way here!”

The soldier’s neck snaps at his fast movement, turning towards Hinata and glaring at him, and with a leap, he’s right in front of Hinata, and his hands right on his neck, fingers pressing into his throat. Hinata tries to breathe, tries to keep his eyes open, glare back because what else does he have left anymore than this? If he is going to die today, it’s definitely not going to be like a coward. 

It hurts as the soldier speaks, with every word squeezing tighter, breath stuck right there in Hinata’s throat, trying to escape but it’s unable to. It’s agonizing. “For all I care, you should’ve just. In fact, you should’ve been grateful if. I don’t know what you have done but being executed in this god forsaken place… I’d be doing you a favour killing you right here.”

It burns, his lungs and his throat burn and his vision is going black, flickering before he feels like he will pass out from the lack of air and the sun melting the skin off his bones. 

Hinata doesn’t, the soldier letting go before it can happen but he falls to his knees, choking on the air he desperately tries to recover. Despite the hand being gone, it still feels tight around his neck and it’s… terrifying. Dying is terrifying and it is now that it truly hits Hinata that he doesn’t want to die. Not yet. There is so much he doesn’t know, so much he hasn’t seen, so much---

“Stand up, I said!” 

He raises his head, coughing and feeling goosebumps running down his back as he tries to even his breath, to see Kageyama being pulled up to his legs in one motion - and surprisingly, he stands though not entirely by himself as is being held up by his collar. Kageyama’s face looks more disturbing from afar, he doesn’t seem alive nor awake, barely able to keep his eyes open.

“You too, you rat, up to your feet, you seem to have enough energy left in you.” Hinata feels a kick to his lower back as he is passed by and gulps down a sob coming out of his throat. He is not going to die like this, he is not going to die with his head hanging low. ...Isn’t there any way to escape?

He doesn’t know how he manages to pick himself off the floor, legs covered in bruises and scratches, looking around himself frantically. If only he could get rid of these ropes. He has enough energy left to carry Kageyama, if he needed to but where to run to? They are in the desert, the possibility of a village or city is close to zero. 

His throat, it feels like something is stuck there, breathing becomes so much more difficult as the entrance of the caverns are closer. Hinata doesn’t want to die, he doesn’t want Kageyama to die, he has told them it wasn’t him, why did no one listen? 

It’s just one soldier. He could kick him from the back, throw himself at him and steal his dagger. Free Kageyama, let him leave. It’s just a single one. 

Hinata is about to leap, his legs shaking, breath still as uneven, as choked as before, he feels like time stops for him - when he catches sight of more people waiting for them at the entrance. And his legs give in. 

“My, my, aren’t they in a bad shape, what have you done to our offerings?”

This isn’t the soldier, it is one of the cloaked people speaking, a high-pitched voice, slimy and gross. It makes Hinata sick, his insides twisting and turning. 

“Bad shape or not, I want my money. That damn village refused to give me a single ounce of gold.”

There has to be an exit, somehow, they have to be able to get out of this, and Hinata realizes he is close to falling to panic when he sees Kageyama turning to him. Still propped by the soldier who is talking to the cloaked persons in front of the entrance, his lids fluttering, he doesn’t say a single word. Of course he doesn’t. 

Yet more than scared, more than tired, exhausted, more than anything, he looks incredibly sad. They haven’t known each other for long but for that time, Kageyama has been living with him, with his family, his mother and sister, he has been eating with him, fighting with him, not for long but for enough time. Enough for Hinata to be aware that Kageyama had a reason for travelling, a reason for fighting but no reason to die. 

Before he can open his mouth, Hinata’s senses dull, a screeching, high sound in his ears deafening him, and making him pass out quicker than he liked. Quicker than he expected. 

When he opens his eyes again, it is dark, sun long gone, and it is cold. Night cold except… it is inside. The walls seem carefully crafted despite it being the inside of a cavern, cold stone decorated with ominous signs Hinata can’t read. His eyes can barely make out any other details except for candles scattered around the entire floor and more of the cloaked persons standing around.

“Have you woken up, little bird?”

It’s that person’s voice from before. The one in a dark-red cloak. They stand in front of Hinata, kneeling down as to be on the same line of sight but Hinata turns his head away. He feels like throwing up, his stomach clenching. Where is…? He looks around in distress, just to hear a simple chuckle. 

“Are you looking for your friend? Worry not, he is here yet not quite awake. It seems the hex did not do his unstable state of health well.”

Hex…? Unstable…?

“Not unexpected. Come now, bird, I am certain you wish to see him.”

They lean over to Hinata and helps him stand up, despite Hinata fighting to do so, legs giving in but he doesn’t want to show any weakness now. He’s being led to the center of small circle of Cloaked - to see Kageyama curled up in their middle. 

His wobbly legs react faster than his brain and rush through the Cloaked, knocking one of them almost over to fall onto his knees right next to Kageyama. His hands are still tied, he can feel the blood seeping into the ropes from they cut into his skin but he could not care less about that at this point. 

“Kageyama!” He leans over the motionless body, closes in to nudge his shoulder with his head and calls out again. “Kageyama, wake up… please…”

“He is not dead yet, little bird. But he needs to wake in order for us to perform the ritual. You might have more luck than us, he will surely wake up if he hears you.” The Cloaked who led him here, who spoke this entire time, has lined up along with his fellows, looking down on Hinata and Kageyama. “Go ahead. Wake him up for us.”

Ritual? Wake him up? Shivers run down Hinata’s spine. It sounds bad. It sounds worse than expected. It sounds… like it has been set up to happen. Like they had been scapegoats, just the ones who were chosen to be sacrificed with a pretense. Like they had to die, no matter whether they were innocent or not. 

He doesn’t want to wake Kageyama up. He doesn’t want to give in to their orders. But he needs to make sure Kageyama is alive. He wants to see him open his eyes. 

“K-Kageyama.” He shuffles closer, cheek pressing against Kageyama’s shoulder. He can hear shallow breaths. So he is alive after all. “Kageyama.”

He bumps his head against him - and Kageyama’s eyes open. 

“Fantastic!” The Cloaked’s voice makes Hinata cringe as he looks at Kageyama who blinks slowly, confusion and exhaustion visible in glossy eyes. 

“Whe… re…” His voice cracks, throat dry from not speaking, not drinking, barely breathing for more than a day. Hinata presses his lips together. He doesn’t want to reply. He doesn’t know for himself. What will happen and why they are here in the first place. This isn’t about a crime, this isn’t about a punishment. This is something much bigger. 

“I don’t know,” Hinata breathes eventually, “but we’ll be fine.” 

He manages a smile somehow, it hurts as if he hasn’t done it in a while, rubbing his cheek against Kageyama’s shoulder. Neither of them believes this any longer. Hinata is aware of that. 

“Now, little bird.”

He doesn’t look up, doesn’t look at Kageyama. No more of this. He doesn’t want to die, he doesn’t want Kageyama to die, he doesn’t want to be here. Why… did it have to be them? 

“We did not expect two offerings albeit I am sure Grima will be most satisfied for what we offer.”

Grima… what? He listens to Kageyama breathe in and out slowly, unmoving otherwise, as he closes his eyes. He wants to calm down. Wants to be able to come up with an escape plan for them. 

“Your village has been of utmost kindness to us Grimleal, enough for us to consider them pure. You would make an excellent sacrifice to the Almighty, little bird. Alas, your village, your family, more precisely, has sent us a hawk to spare you.”

His eyes open again and he meets Kageyama’s. There is a spark of relief in them. “You… will be able…” and Kageyama’s voice breaks but he continues speaking nonetheless. “...to spare Hinata?”

“That, we can.”

Hinata’s eyes widen as he sits up. “What? Spare… me? What about Kageyama?”

“That, we cannot.”

“I refuse,” Hinata says and he can see Kageyama turning to him, possibly glaring at him but he doesn’t reciprocate. 

“You could return home, little bird. Your sins will be cleansed once you offer your friend to the Almighty. You will be able to see your family again and live in bliss as you did before.”

Sins…? Cleansed…? He hasn’t done anything to be cleansed. Hasn’t stolen, hasn’t lied, he never acted against the village’s will. They wouldn’t want him back. He is grateful to his mother, to Natsu as well, for their effort. But isn’t this decided already?

“We will give you a dagger, we will let you free. All you have to do is giving us, no, giving the Almighty your friend’s blood.”

“N---”

“Do it.”

Kageyama’s voice has recovered some of its old force as has his face. Hinata stares at him in terror, bewildered about Kageyama’s words. He doesn’t seem to be scared, not faltering, not wavering. In the time Hinata has gotten to know him, he has learnt that Kageyama is always certain of what he says. He is steady, grounded, he doesn’t seem like anything could shake him. 

Hinata wishes this would. 

“You can go home, Hinata. If you hadn’t spoken up---”

“Stop.”

“---you would have never been here in the first place---”

“I said stop.”

“---it is my fault you are here and I---”

“ _I told you to stop! Shut up!_ ”

Hinata’s voice resounds for what seems to him as an eternity from the cold stone walls. He can barely breathe, barely brings himself to swallow down his tears - to no avail. 

“You tell me I have to kill you so I can go back home!? What for!? How do you deserve to die!? Why!? For a crime you haven’t committed!? For being innocent!? For having gotten lost in the desert and living with us!?” 

He wants it to stop. His heart, his head hurts, he doesn’t want anyone to listen, he doesn’t want to be here, _he doesn’t want to die but for what price?_

“This isn’t about that thing anymore! I bet it’s still there, safe and sound where it belongs! Don’t you get it!? You--- they---”

“...wanted to get rid of me. And because you didn’t play along with them, you had to go with me.”

Hinata’s body shakes under sobs, trying to gulp them down but what does it matter any longer? 

“Hinata, you can go home. Your mother and your sister, they enable you to.”

Kageyama’s voice is too calm and it makes Hinata feel sicker than before, sicker than the heat, sicker than the cramped carriage, sicker than anything else. He opens his eyes to find Kageyama smiling. Crooked, blurry because of the tears but it is there. “We’ll be fine… right? You said so.”

“How is it we when you have to….”

Die. The last word is drowned by Hinata’s tears. He feels someone unbinding the ropes and reflexively, he brings his hands to his face, wiping the tears away.

“Now, now, little bird, I understand it must be hard, but you see, even your friend has given in to Grima’s wish. He will not die in vain, you shall witness. He will be a hero for his sacrifice.”

Hinata wishes he had more power left in his body but he bring up none of it, his hands, his arms, his legs, all trembling and shaking while he tries to stop the tears. 

“It will be fine, Hinata.” He feels Kageyama crawling closer to him, his hands still tied up. He rests his head on Hinata’s lap and looks up to him. There is not a single sign of fear, of panic, of regret in Kageyama’s face - and it scares Hinata. 

“Why…” He chokes on his sobs as he feels a figure stepping closer to him. It is that forsaken Cloaked… what did he calm themselves? Grimleal? Whatever it is, Hinata knows he curses them all. Every single one of them, and Grima the most. 

“It is time, little bird.” 

A dagger is pressed into his hands, it is heavy, far too heavy for him to hold, his fingers unable to carry the weight yet they still manage to grip onto it. 

“Say your farewell and claim back your freedom. May Grima be with you.”

Kageyama turned his head away, pressing it against Hinata’s stomach. He hums something, it is quiet enough so that only Hinata can hear it but he knows this song. He has heard Kageyama hum it every now and then. He didn’t want to tell Hinata at first but eventually he only said ‘It helps me fall asleep. It’s a lullaby my… brother always sang for me.’ 

Does he think of home? Of his family? 

“I don’t want to do this….” Hinata whispers, tears still running down his cheeks. “Kageyama, I’m scared…”

Kageyama’s eyes are closed as he keeps on humming. Shut close. He forces them to be. 

“Do it, bird.”

“Kageyama, please, say… you don’t want this... “ 

The grip around the hilt of the dagger tightens. But there is no reply, except for a continuous hum, soft, quiet as is the tremor Hinata feels. Kageyama is shaking. He is---

And then, for the second time in such a short span, Hinata feels like he has gone deaf, a loud roaring shaking the walls, the ground and everything happens faster than Hinata can think. 

Suddenly, a group of people - of soldiers? - storms into the chamber, weapons drawn, starting to attack and kill the Cloaked before they can cast their hexes. 

It’s adrenaline, Hinata is sure, that the first thing he does is cut Kageyama’s ropes and the second is ramming the dagger in his hand with his entire force left in his body into the throat of the person trying to grab him without even looking. He is petrified when he feels the blood dripping down his arm as the body drops to the floor like a puppet cut off its strings and it is Kageyama who shakes him awake. 

“Come on, let’s go! Quick!”

He stands by now, not very steadily but enough to be able to move and reaches out for Hinata’s hand. They can use the commotion. They have been given a chance, right? They… will be fine. 

Hinata grabs Kageyama’s hand and lets him pull him up, the intruders around them - quite a big group of people, possibly around 10 - down one Cloaked after another before their spells work. Hinata flinches when there is lightning sparking through the chamber. ….A mage? 

He turns his head around and halts, forcing Kageyama to stop too. “What is it!”

There isn’t a single instance Hinata remembers where his mind ran faster than his heart. He has always done things on impulse whether they were good or not so good. All of this happened because of impulse, he originally thought. Because he defended Kageyama when he should have kept quiet. But is that an option? Living your life at the cost of another? 

Seeing a Cloaked approach one of the intruders from behind, without their knowledge, ambushing them, he has seen so he can keep it from happening. There is no way Hinata could live with himself knowing he could have done something. He would rather die having done whatever he could. Perhaps that was why he felt so reluctant earlier. There was more he could have done before dying. It wasn’t everything yet. 

It’s a flash, the entire moment, like the lightning bolt striking the chamber seconds ago. Hinata’s arm whips out to cut over the Cloaked’s back, distracting them from their spell but he hasn’t thought further, he realizes when his opponent turns around revealing a dagger from under their sleeve, closing in for the kill---

Kageyama grabs the blade with his bare hand, tears it out of the Cloaked’s hand with an abnormal force and pushes them back against the wall, cutting their throat and leaving them slide down to the ground. He heaves, how quick did he--- 

“You fucking dumbass, how often have you fought in your life, don’t just do shit like this!”

His voice is raspy, he looks like he is out of breath and his entire hand is covered in blood but this seems much more natural to him than anything else Hinata has seen him doing. 

They don’t have much time to calm down, another two going down by Kageyama’s swift movements. He staggers, no question, but something keeps him going. Being alive keeps him going, it is what keeps Hinata going and despite being clumsy, he manages to avoid being hit despite barely returning the attacks. He distracts and Kageyama finishes them and it has been just a moment ago Kageyama asked but to Hinata it feels like he has always been fighting alongside Kageyama even though this is the first time. 

The clattering of metal, it stops as suddenly as it came, leaving Hinata hurting all over, shaking - frenzy, almost rather than fear. He breathes heavier than ever, Kageyama next to him alike and both freeze when the intruders approach them. 

They don’t wear an uniform armour, not seeming like… soldiers of an army. Hinata sees at least one mage (or a sage?), two in heavy armour and two… who wear almost nothing but huge axes in their hands. What in the world… Kageyama is all tense at his back as the group approaches them, dagger up to signal he will fight back if he must. 

“Now, now, what do we have here? You’re no Grimleal, are you?”

The one speaking is a young man, Hinata thinks he might be in the middle of his twenties, in a larger armour covering his body. It is covered in scratches, not shiny and neat any longer. ...Seems like he is used to fighting, carrying not only a sword in his sheath but also an axe at his back, slightly smaller than the other ones do, though. 

“It is apparent they are not, Daichi. You could have asked me as much,” a man next to him says, a lighter armour but heavier axe in his hands, alongside with a staff strapped on his back. He has a gentle, warm face and his expression is as benign as Hinata has pictured Gods to be. 

“Just to make sure, you never know. ...Well, they did kill some of them for us, no question about it.”

Kageyama lets out a breath but doesn’t relax yet. Instead he presses between his teeth, “Be careful.”

Hinata only nods, trying to focus on the conversation within the group. Now another person is speaking, wearing a longer, nicely decorated coat, a book in his hands, a sword in his sheath. His face shows suspicion despite it looking… somewhat sleepy. Odd. He might be exhausted. His voice is sharp as the dagger in Hinata’s hands though. “Huh, a ritual chamber. So that’s why no one raided these caverns. They were scared of the Grimleal with their hexes. Ridiculous.”

“There he goes again…”

“Tanaka, shh, don’t make him angry!”

“What, I ain’t makin’ him angry!?”

“What were you about to say.”

“N-Nothing. Nothing at all. Shouldn’t we, like, raid the chamber then? They don’t seem alive to me. What you sayin’, Noya?”

And then, after having lost the overview of people talking, Hinata spots a person about his size with a grin on his face, radiant enough to outshine the candles. The sun most likely as well. “Leave that to me.”

He jumps past him and Kageyama, straight to the wall farthest away from the exit and knocks against it. The others in his group seem to leave him do his job as they turn back to Hinata and Kageyama. 

“So, you two. You seem like you’ve been through quite a bit,” the armoured man says. His face seems… trustworthy, Hinata thinks. He seems so reliable, he radiates an aura that makes him feel safe, somehow. “But I am aware that before you will tell us about you, you might want to know who we are. So let me introduce us first. We are The Crows. We are mercenaries at the service of those who need to be aided. Much like you.”

“Wasn’t this coincidence, Daichi? That we managed to help them?” Hinata freezes. The voice, so gentle but the man it comes from is huge, large, definitely someone versed in battle. He looks… scary.

“Shut up, Asahi,” the armoured man apparently called Daichi hisses and glares straight at the other, making him take a step back. He sighs and Hinata is more than fascinated how a guy as large as that Asahi figure could back away at a mere glare. Daichi clears his throat and continues. “Anyway, as I was saying, we help people who need it.”

“In exchange for money,” Kageyama mutters, lifting an eyebrow. He seems somewhat more relaxed despite his harsh tone. 

“Well, yes. Since we are mercenaries but you got your own hands dirty, so this one will be on us.” Hinata can’t decide whether it is a kind smile or… well, a different sort of smile. 

“Technically, we can’t afford this, captain.”

“Technically, we are going to get lots of gold by raiding this very chamber and enough weapons to last us.”

“You… raid a chamber despite being a mercenary troop? Isn’t that theft?” 

There is a collective sighing going through the group as if Hinata said something he shouldn’t have even mentioned. The sleepy-looking man speaks up and in the background, some of his comrades seem to know what’s coming, burying their faces in their hands. 

“It’s not theft when Plegia has enough to offer. ...Keeping treasures in a ritual chamber. Preposterous. Theocracy. What a joke. See, this is what I keep saying Plegia should be renamed to---”

And Hinata swears all of them simultaneously say, “Plague-ia.”

“Thank you, yes, because Plegia is the plague. Worse than the plague. Look, they were going to sacrifice _human beings_. If you ask me, Plegia should be wiped off the surface of this planet.”

This person seems to be very intense about their hatred for Plegia - and somehow, Hinata understands. 

“This is not our mission, though.”

“Not yet. But it should be. I tell you, I will do it for free if someone will ask me to. A special service.”

The gentle-looking man Hinata thought to be some godlike entity - because how else do you walk the earth looking like that - turns to Hinata and Kageyama and steps closer to them, leaving the others to talk with each other fervently. “I apologize, we must have made a terrible first impression. But both of you seem to be injured and we have healers who could tend you. Not much food or water but… we are willing to share if you do not mind it being small portions.”

Both of them look at each other first but they don’t think about their reply much. “Please take care of us.” Much in sync, they both bow and earn a chuckle. 

It’s bliss little later biting into a piece of bread that tastes like nothing and drinking a little water, listening to messy conversations and introductions, promises of bringing them to a safer place once they continue their journey - all for free, of course, because indeed there was a treasure in the chamber, weapons, armours, enough gold to last them for a while (“And don’t worry about it being theft, who will notice it is gone when Plegia has enough in its capital,” Ennoshita remarks.) - but they know nothing of what lies ahead of them. 

Nothing of a stolen relic to summon an ancient dragon god called Grima, nothing of hordes of undead soldiers called Risen, nothing of how the world they know changes within a single night without leaving them the chance to prepare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boy am i terrible at action scenes, i am so sorry/// well, i guess shit goes down now, doesn't it? with the risen around, situations are going to be dire. they are practically like zombies, if you wonder. 
> 
> the grimleal, by the way, are an order or a sect that worships the evil ancient dragon grima and the relic stolen was the seal to keep grima from resurrecting. too bad no one has an idea where that thing is and the whole world goes to shit. cool, let's hope karasuno manages to make some allies and save the world!
> 
> also kudos to my s-support rennae for that plague-ia joke, i think ennoshita says that at least once in every conversation and everyone is already tired of this terrible pun (but enno does have a point)

**Author's Note:**

> this first chapter should be treated like a prologue, more than like a first chapter, actually, the story only starts with the next chapter but i thought i'd dump this on here already so you can see the messy wreck karasuno is in this au. i'm honestly sorry for butchering them like this,,,,


End file.
